Folding chairs and other components of chairs have been manufactured for decades. Normally, the manufacturer pre-fabricates the chair's components and assembles these to form a functional chair. Many such chairs have back supports and other surfaces of chairs which are covered with padding and material that is fastened to the chair surface for added support. Normally the padding and material are mounted onto a contoured molded press board which, in turn, is attached to the front surface of the chair. Unfortunately, existing methods of chair construction--with padded members and contoured shapes--are difficult and time consuming to assemble, add to the cost of the finished product, and as important, lead to an excess amount of product waste.
For example, a back support member of a chair will usually be constructed from molded press board and have a concave surface (facing the front) and a general rectangular shape. On the reverse side of the molded press board are several openings that accommodate clamps. These clamps are basically U-shaped with legs extending perpendicular from the ends and screw holes placed therein. The clamps are placed in openings of the press board so that the legs of the clamps are resting on the front surface. A padded cushion is set over the legs of the clamps and a material is then fastened over the padding. Screws are then secured through the surface of the chair into the clamps so as to secure the padded member to the chair surface.
Since the padding is not fastened to the press board it has a tendency to move during construction and become clumped. A further shortcoming of this technique is that the screws placed in the clamps have a tendency to protrude from the front surface of the press board and prick the seated person, as well as eventually shred the material backing. Additionally, it is very common for the U-shaped clamps to tear the material backing when the assembler applies pressure to the screw during assembly of the chair component to the chair surface. It is also time consuming, and in most instances, difficult to locate the U-shaped clamp for proper screw placement and precise location of the chair component to the chair itself--since the clamp has a tendency to shift during manufacture and assembly.
Several inventors have attempted to devise methods for the construction of padded chairs. To this extent, U.S. Pat. No. 2,833,339 to C. P. Liljengren discloses a seat construction adapted for use in vehicles, such as automobiles and aircraft. The seat cushion consists of an underlying support structure and a covering pad which serves to trim and finish the cushion member and perform incidental cushioning functions. The underlying supporting structure provides a yieldable body-contour forming support. Connected to the underlying supporting structure is a beam element which constitutes the rigid support for the seat bottom. Side members are attached to the beam element and a cross bar by spike like projections placed therein, or in the alternative, a closure plate member is socketed or tapped to receive a bolt or screw.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,065,185 to Braniff et al. discloses a cushioned vehicle seat, and more particularly, improved retention of a resilient foam cushion bun and a seat cover on a molded plastic seat support. The seat bottom support and back support are molded from plastic and cooperate by a pocket that receives a pivot arm which is mounted on the back support. Integrated into the bottom support are abutment tabs which have a downwardly opening transversely extending slot. A seat cover is then sewn together with an opening in the underside to accommodate a seat bun. A retainer wire further retains the seat bun in the seat cover and extends around the edge portion of the seat cover which is connected to J-shaped extruded plastic strips. The J-shaped strips fit into the abutment tabs thereby securing the seat covering and bun to the bottom support. The abutments on the back seat support include a pair of truncated conical projections which project forward from the seat back support and are attached by self tapping screws. To further secure the back cushioned member to the back support, a flap portion comprising a plastic cover and a plurality of snap-in-fasteners are attached to the seat cover. The snap-in-fasteners are engaged in a plurality of mating holes provided in the surface of the back support.
A vehicle seat with a bolster wire assembly for attaching a seat cover to a vehicle seat is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,961,823 to Caudill, Jr. ('823). Patent '832 comprises a vehicle seat having a bottom and a back. The bottom includes a molded foam cushion which has a slot therein. The foam cushion is covered by fabric which extends inwardly in the slot and is sewn together forming an end, which is thereafter sewn to a conventional fabric list forming a list wire. The list wire is anchored to the foam cushion by a bolster wire assembly which is embedded in the foam mold prior to the foaming of the cushion. The bolster wire assembly is located at the bottom of the slot and extends beyond the side walls. The list wires are attached to hog rings which are installed to encircle the wires at spaced intervals.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,711,496 to Lathers et al. ('496) discloses yet another vehicle seat, and more specifically, the construction of a vehicle seat which provides a built-in occupant restraint system. The '496 patent discloses a back plate assembly constructed from a hardened material which includes an outer and inner back shell. Between the inner and outer shells is a flexible spider assembly with legs extending outward. The legs are bridged over the inner seat back to form a cushion. In an alternate embodiment, a foam padded member is added above the folded legs to provide a seat contact. A padded cushion may also be attached to a seat portion of the vehicle seat.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,081,077 to C. F. Sudman discloses a seat construction consisting of a frame formed by front, end, and rear rails, as well as a sponge rubber seat cushion molded to a series of flexible strips. The flexible strips are attached to the front and rear rails and are provided with openings so that the rubber can extend therethrough during the molding process thereby forming an interlock between the rubber and itself To embed the strips in the sponge rubber a mold comprising a bottom section and a top section is desired. The uncured sponge rubber is placed in the lower portion of the bottom section and the flexible strips are mounted to the upper portion of the bottom section with spring clips holding the flexible strips in place. The top part of the mold is placed into position and the sponge rubber is expanded and vulcanized until it engages the flexible strips and extends through the openings.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,899,689 to A. J. Pastl discloses a cushioned toilet seat. The base of the toilet seat is formed from a molded plastic or other resilient material. The upper face of the base consists of grooves which extend outward and inward from the edges. The base is further provided with openings for communicating the grooves with a passage that extends rearward along the bottom side of the base for travel of air therethrough. Fixedly attached to the upper face of the base is a cushioning member formed from foam rubber and enclosed with a shell that is impervious to fluid and sanitary material. The grooves formed in the upper face of the base serve as air conduits for displaced air. As a separate function, the grooves further provide recesses in the communication with the underside of the cushioning member to enable displacement of portions of the cushioning when air flow is not available.
Lastly, U.S. Pat. No. 5,121,963 to Kwasnik et al. relates to an armrest storage assembly having means for retaining upholstered material about a vehicle seat assembly and a vehicle armrest. A U-shaped channel is disposed around the perimeter of the lower and upper portions of the armrest assembly. The U-shaped channel includes lateral walls and a bottom surface which is composed of several apertures therethrough. Placed within the U-shaped channel and further covering the apertures is a foam padding and a cover, both of which are also disposed about the entire armrest assembly. A U-shaped retainer ring consisting of pointed distal end pins engage the apertures, thereby restraining the padding and cover within the U-shaped channel. The U-shaped retainer rings further include an outside wall having a gripping means defined by a plurality of triangular downwardly extending barbs which grip the foam padding and cover when the retainer ring is forcibly inserted into the U-shaped channel. A coacting means having a hook, recess, front locking wall, and bottom locking surface, locks the retainer ring into the channel.
All of the above references use padding, coverings, and retention means (to secure the padding and covering) in a fashion that does not allow for easy and rapid manufacture and assembly of chairs, as well as furnish a comfortable chair at an inexpensive price. Further, the above references do not alleviate the possibility that the chair's upholstery may tear due to the retention means, e.g., screws and clamps, piercing through the chair components during manufacture and usage, thus damaging the upholstery--and possibly harming the occupant. Additionally, current methods of construction do not facilitate easy assembly of the chair's components, as well as provide a secure platform for the padding and upholstery to adhere to so as not bunch and clump during assembly thereof A further shortcoming of current chair construction is the inability to cater to varying seating schemes, to wit automobiles, airplanes, folding chairs, etc. Lastly, current chair construction does not teach the construction of varying chair components, such as backs, seats, and armrests, utilizing an inexpensive, simple, and uniform construction for all components.
What is needed to overcome the shortcomings of existing chairs and the construction thereof is a durable padded support member that allows for easy assembly and manufacture, as well as the comfort and safety of a person seated thereon. Such a support member would include a resilient member that is able to withstand external loads, yet be supple enough to contour to the seated persons' body contours. The chair would be constructed so that the upholstery and padding that is to be fitted to the chair would not clump or bunch during construction. The construction of the support member would also include a fastening mechanism that would further affix the upholstery and padding to the support member without the possibility of the upholstery and padding tearing and eventually harming the occupant of the seat. Lastly, a fixed locator device for the alignment of the support member to the chair surface is needed. This locator device would further provide additional material so that the fastening means can "bite" into the support member and securely fix it to the chair. This locator device will not fall off or be able to be pushed back into the padding of the support member during construction of the chair.